


Break The Chain

by ElizabethDionne



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: All kinds of Death, Death, F/M, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-08 13:29:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18624217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizabethDionne/pseuds/ElizabethDionne
Summary: I stood there in front of him, all cowboy hats and snakeskin boots, a pink feather boa wrapped across his shoulders and a cigarette dangling between his fingers, eyes unbelieving that I'm standing there in front of him, alive and in one piece- especially after the last time I'd seen him."Adrian..." he trailed off, dropping his cigarette on the ground and wrapping his arms around me tight."It's okay, I'm here." I say into his neck, gripping him as tight.





	1. Country Stores and, scratch that, Country Everything and Pickup trucks

After I got out, I moved somewhere he would never find me. That meant Podunk, middle of nowhere town that has fifty people in it. That’s also country. So, here I sit, hat on my head and hair in a low ponytail beneath that, black, handmade snakeskin boots with jeans tucked into them and a thin flannel t-shirt over a black tank top. I sat on the porch in a rocking chair, a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other, watching as the sun rises over my little piece of land. The house and the four acres attached was given to me as a gift by a kind old lady who lived here, who passed away about two years after I moved in with her. I helped maintain it; running errands, cleaning around the house, helping with the garden. The other twenty I’d bought with dear old dad’s money that I’d stolen when I left. Unbeknownst to me, a horse and two cows came with it. Along with the bills. But I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them, liking the company they provided on my solitary section of the earth.

I gulp down the last mouthful of my coffee, standing from the chair and stretching. The screen door creaks as I open it, protesting use at the ass crack of dawn, but I ignore it, setting the cup in the sink and tossing the newspaper onto the kitchen table, exchanging it for the bills that lie there. My keys jingle when I grab them, boots clicking against the wood panel flooring.

My dog barks, a huge German Shepherd and I look at it.

“What? Want to go with me?” He wags his tail, panting, a smile on his face. “Fine, come on,” I concede, holding the door open for him as he trots out, watching him bound down the porch steps and to the old pickup truck parked out front, metal with faded blue paint rusting off in patches and a motor older than me. Old, but reliable.

The door creaks open, protesting as well and Roy jumps in, sitting in the passenger seat next to me. I climb in after, slamming the door shut and sticking the key in the ignition, coming to life with a grumble. As we leave I roll down the windows, watching as the horse and two cows eat the oat and hay mixture I’d fed them this morning.

A breeze blows in the truck, mixing with the radio crackling in the background. Fields line both sides of the road, horses and cows fit inside the fences with room to spare. Looking in the mirror, a black vehicle, dark as midnight, sped up towards me, anxiety and dread filling my gut at the thought of an accident. When it gets close, it speeds by, rap music blaring through it’s closed windows. I roll my eyes, the feelings leaving my gut as they pull off on a different road. Shaking my head, I slow down from forty to thirty, the small town bustling with activity despite the low population count.

People wave and smile as I pass by, men leaning against the feed store talk with their hats pulled low, arms crossed, all button up shirts tucked into wrangler jeans and work boots.

I pull into a parking space outside the store, turning the truck off and pulling the key out. Roy whines at me, giving me a pitiful look.

“You want to come in, don’t you?” I ask, and he seems to perk up the minute I say that. “Fine, okay, but you’re going on a leash.” I reach across and pull it out of the glove box, hooking it to his collar.

I open the door and climb out, Roy right on my heels. The men stare as I walk into the feed store, and I stare back, giving them a small smile and getting one in return. The store is cool compared to the already getting intense heat outside.

“Hey Barry, how ya doin?” I ask, waving at the man behind the register.

“Oh, same ol, same ol. I’m going to head to Nacogdoches next week to get that surgery done that I’ve been needing.” He says

“That’s great.” I reply, grabbing a flatbed cart and pushing it through the aisles until I find the one I need.

“Yeah, It’s been hell trying to find someone to run the store for me while I’m recovering.” Roy sits beside me as I pile sacks of horse and cow feed onto the cart, sticking two bags of chicken seed on top. I struggle a bit to push it to the front and hold onto Roys leash, tying it to the belt loops on my jeans.

“Well, I hope you find someone to help you.” I say, pulling my wallet out of my back pocket and handing him the money for the food, totaling to roughly 80 bucks.

“Yeah, I’ve got Trevor to help with the lifting and stuff while I recover so I have it covered.” He sticks the money in the register and hands me a receipt, along with a bone.

“For Roy. Free of charge.” He smiles and I give him one back.

“Thank you. God bless you.” I say sticking my hat back on my head and pushing the cart out of the store as he holds the door open for me.

Roy is eager to get to the truck, so eager in fact, that he

“Hey now, slow your roll buddy. You’re still attached to me.” I untie the leash from me and open the door for him, letting him hop in before shutting it again.

I pull down the door of the bed of the truck, wincing at the screech and groan it lets out and at how the truck drops a little when all the sacks of feed get loaded in the back. I push it back up and turn to take the cart back to the front, jumping at the sight of the man in front of me.

“Holy, you scared me butt head.” I punch Devon's shoulder and he laughs, green eyes sparkling and wrinkling at the edges.

“That’s not what I was trying to do but still funny. So, you doing anything the rest of today?” He walks with me to the buggy rack in the front of the store.

“So what were you trying to do? And why do you want to know?” I ask, a smile on my face as I look up at him.

“Paying bills and buying seed, why?” I say.

“Well, I have tickets to go see Endgame at four tonight in Nacogdoches and was wondering if you wanted to go?” He says, putting his hands in his pockets and watching as I light up.

“Of course! Thank you thank you thank you!” I tackle him in hug, my arms wrapped around his neck and his hands flying up to my waist to catch me.

“No problem. I know you’ve been dying to see it and I figured I should be the one to take you.” He says, a small smile on his face.

“Thank you so much.” I say, pressing a light kiss to his lips and staying that way for a moment.

“I’ll pick you up at 12 and we can get an early dinner there.” He says and I nod, letting go of him.

“See you then, now I’ve go to go. Bills to pay and a dog that is screaming at me.” I say, Roy’s barking in the background as we walk to my truck.

“Of course,” Devon laughs, bending down and kissing me goodbye.

“See you tonight, sweetheart.” I climb in my truck and watch him wave as I drive off.

“Ya see that Roy, I’ve got a date tonight.” He barks in reply and I laugh, put in a joyous mood as I pay the bills, one that doesn’t seem to last very long with the phone call I get.


	2. Blood Is Thicker Than Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god an upload

One call, one little call, can ruin someone's day. Whether it’s a loved one or friend dying in the hospital, someone calling to break up or even a pet dying, it doesn’t matter. The day is ruined. That’s about how it feels right now, listening to the all too familiar voice over the phone.

“He’s dead.” Numbness, the blood rushing to my head as I sit in the parking lot of the post office. “The old bastard was finally done in.”

“The ceremony is tomorrow. I figured that I would give you a day to get up here with how far away you live.” Pogo says, his voice cracking a little as he says the word ceremony. He always did like Reginald.

“Okay. I’ll be there.” I hang up, my head coming forward to rest on the steering wheel, a sigh leaving my mouth.

Roy barks, licking my face and nuzzling his way into my lap.

“Looks like we’re going on a trip boy. And I’m taking you with me, whether they like it or not.” I mumble, scratching behind his ear a little.

“God, what am I going to tell Devon?” I pull my seat belt across and buckle it in, Roy going over to lay across the rest of the bench seat with his head in my lap still. “I’m gonna have to leave right after we get home tonight.”

“Or don’t tell him anything.” A voice comes from the back seat and I scream, slamming on the brakes and holding Roy in the seat with my arm.

“What the fuck?!” I say, looking back and feeling Roy bristle next to me. “Who the fuck are you?” I ask, an offended look spreading across his features.

“Forgotten me already number Eight? Wow, I’m offended.” He says, placing a hand on his chest dramatically and feigning insult.

“Diego? What are you doing here? And how did you find me?” The realisation of who it is dawns on me and he grins, reaching over to give me a hug across the seat.

“So you do remember me! I was starting to think you’d blocked out all those memories of the Academy.” He says, a humor in his voice that wasn’t always there.

“Yeah. I do still remember. And it seems that you haven’t forgotten me either.” I say, voice lighthearted but still prompting a frown from Diego.

“What? Was our childhood really that bad?’ He jokes, pulling a laugh out of me and turning his frown into a grin.

I turn into my driveway and pull up in front of the house, shifting into park and turning the truck off.

“So this is where you ran off to.” He mumbles as he gets out, taking in the rural area and horse who's head is stuck through the wire of the fence eating the grass on the other side.

“Yep. Welcome to my humble abode. Payed for rather generously by dad.” Diego snorts.

“Yeah, right the ol’ bastard payed for this.”

“He did. He doesn’t know it though.” I say, unlocking the front door and stepping in, Roy running in right on my heels with Diego trailing behind.

“So who’s Devon?” He asks, looking at the photos in my living room. Some are ones I managed to take with me when I left and others are ones I’d taken after moving here and had framed. He stops on one of me and the man in question.

“My friend?” I answer from the kitchen, never having given much thought to what we were before now. I grab two waters out of the fridge and refill Roy's water dish while I take a moment to think.

“Huh. Seems you and Allison have dealt with the whole thing better than everyone else.” He says in a whisper.

“What do you mean?” I hand him the bottle of water and he takes it gratefully.

“She was married and had a kid. Became a famous actor. Left us and all memories of our childhoods behind.” He says almost jealously.

“Huh. Guessing she didn’t invite me.” It comes out quietly, a whisper that only Roy seems to catch based on how he presses his body against my leg.

I finish my water and throw it away, wiping the sweat off my forehead that accumulated from being outside for such a short period of time.

“So, you ready to work?” I ask, clapping my hands together and enjoying the confused expression on his face.

“What?”

It was entertaining to watch, to say the least. Diego helped carry the feed into the storage room out back and then proceeded to help with chores. Or try to, at least. Roy was still cautious around him and the two cows were terrified- the horse being the only animal tolerable of Diego’s presence. Watching as he attempted to get anything done around the place was like watching the three stooges try and open a jar.

“What the fuck?!” He exclaimed as the cows ran from him for the fifth time.

“You don’t need to bring the food to them dipshit. Leave it in the big barrel over there and they’ll get it.” I laughed, his angry expression amusing to no end.

“You’re kidding, right?” He groans, dumping the oat mixture into the big bucket near the gate of the fenced in area.

I check my phone, seeing that it’s approaching 11 now, remembering my plans with Devon.

“I need to take a shower and change into cleaner clothes. I have a date tonight.” I say, petting Roy absentmindedly. “You get to stay here while I’m gone.”

“Where you goin?” Diego asks, trying- but failing- to ignore the horse's snout as it presses against his face, encouraging him to continue brushing him.

“The movies and dinner. I’ll be back late. We’ll leave then. I’ll have to make up an excuse for why I need to leave.” I mutter the last part to myself, formulating the plan in my head and trying to think of what I’ll say.


End file.
